Once Upon a Magic Marker: Images of One Artist's Work from Age 2 through 25

Lately, I have been hoarding the art my kids create with their crayons and magic markers. I suspect I’m hardly alone in doing this. Heck, some people might even call it a tradition, this whole deal where parents tuck away sheets of construction paper with some scribble on it.

That makes sense to me.

After all, what would life be like in 20 years or so if you didn’t stumble upon an old dusty box of artwork from when your kids were still actually kids? You would survive, obviously, but you would be missing out on one hell of an ‘archaeological find’, I think.

So when I recently came across a gallery of work by an artist named Marc Allante on the internet I was blown away. Allante, you see, had put together a really fascinating cross section of his life’s work starting when he was just a two-year-old toddler hurling magic markers around, all the way through his mid-20s, when he had developed into a serious world-class talent.

The images of this artist’s work stand alone in telling the tale of how a young boy’s skills can expand and blossom over the years if he works hard and loves what he’s doing, but even beyond that there seems to be more to his images, I suspect. I almost feel like there is a more powerful narrative in a certain thread here that illuminates the unspoken ideas that go zipping through a child’s imagination and mind as he matures and experiences life, and the highs and lows that it can all bring.

Art is hugely interpretive, of course, so there are many folks who probably say that I’m just a blathering idiot and that’s okay.

But still. Have a look at these images of Marc Allante’s art work through the first 25 years of his life and then think about your own children and where they are possibly headed in this world, what limitless future awaits them, not just with art but with EVERYTHING, and then tell me you aren’t glad you’ve been saving those kindergarten finger-paintings all along.

See and purchase more of Marc Allante’s artwork on his own website and also here.

From Toddler to Pro 1 of 21

Follow one man's artistic journey...

Age 2 2 of 21

The artist's grandparents, or his "Oma" and "Opa." I'd say that even as a two-year-old with magic marker, Marc was showing great promise!

Birds dropping hearts by a waterfall! Here, we can start to really feel the inner workings of a well-oiled imagination. Heck, I'd hang this on my wall now since it's better than half of what I already have up there.

Brainbox! I'm not even sure what that is exactly, but who cares?! I love it! More cool pop-art sentiment from a kid barely old enough to play Little League. At this point, we are really starting to sense the depth of talent this lad possesses.

Holy cow. I hope Marc made a little extra lunch money by sketching killer dragons like this one on other kid's notebooks in school. Also, I feel like we've entered a phase of pencil sketching and fine detail. Not bad for a middle-schooler, huh?

Magical, when you really think about it. The evolution from the young kid drawing his favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the young man creating the picture above is really remarkable. It should inspire each of us to encourage our own kids to pursue whatever they love.

I think that it is plain to see that, by age 24, a life of art and exploration has led Marc to developing his very own style. It is a style which often features bright color upon a plain white background, and it's signature use of thick drips in the work itself are monumentally fresh and cool, I think.

Do you recognize this powerful piece? If so, chances are you've seen it somewhere online since it has become a viral favorite of people all over the world over the past year or so. And it is Marc's. Quite a testament to a kid with a couple of magic markers who never gave up his dream or his passion. I can't wait to see his 50 year retrospective.

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